Department for Transport

Cycling: Safety

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he has taken to increase the safety of people that use bicycles.

Jesse Norman: This Government is determined to make cycling and walking safer and easier, which is why the Department for Transport undertook a major cycling and walking safety review in 2018. The response to the review, which was published on 22 November and is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/governments-response-to-the-cycling-walking-investment-strategy-safety-review, included a detailed two-year action plan.

Transport: South Wales

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the need for UK Government investment in transport infrastructure in South Wales after the UK leaves the European Union; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The Government works closely with the Welsh Government on the specification and funding of Network Rail’s operations in England and Wales for each five year railway Control Period. The approach we are using to assess the need for investment into rail infrastructure in South Wales will remain unchanged after the UK leaves the EU. We will continue to consider rail investments in line with the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP). Network Rail’s Control Period 6 Strategic Business Plan, covering the period from April 2019 to 2024, states a total proposed investment of £1.34bn in rail across Wales and Borders. Investment in road infrastructure is a devolved responsibility and would be a matter for the Welsh Government.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the letter of 20 March 2019 from the Prime Minister to Midland Connect, for what reason potential changes are being proposed to phase 2b of the High Speed Two route.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the letter of 20 March 2019 from the Prime Minister to Midland Connect, what are the scale of the changes proposed in the potential changes to phase 2b of the High Speed Two route.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: As part of the process to prepare the legislation for Phase 2b we intend to consult on aspects of the HS2 Phase 2b plans this year to inform our plans. This work is ongoing and as changes are ready, they will be published in consultations where appropriate, during the course of the year.

Offshore Industry: Helicopters

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Civil Aviation Authority team will take to engage with trade unions represented on the (a) Offshore Helicopter Safety Leadership and (b) Step Change in Safety groups when conducting its post-implementation review of offshore helicopter safety, CAP1145.

Jesse Norman: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 01 April 2019.The correct answer should have been:

The Offshore Helicopter Safety Liaison Leadership Group (OHSLG), which is co-chaired by the Civil Aviation Authority, includes representation from key organisations from across the industry, including helicopter operators, the oil and gas industry, the trade unions and ‘Step Change in Safety’. Trade unions will be able to engage with the review through the OHSLG.

Jesse Norman: The Offshore Helicopter Safety Liaison Leadership Group (OHSLG), which is co-chaired by the Civil Aviation Authority, includes representation from key organisations from across the industry, including helicopter operators, the oil and gas industry, the trade unions and ‘Step Change in Safety’. Trade unions will be able to engage with the review through the OHSLG.

Southeastern: Franchises

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what contingency plans he has to provide compensation to the shortlisted bidders for the Southeastern rail franchise for bidding costs incurred due to the delay in awarding the new contract.

Andrew Jones: The Department’s tender documents make clear that it is not liable for bidders’ costs in any circumstances.

Railways: Franchises

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans to exclude successful rail franchise bidders from bidding for other rail franchises in the interests of competition.

Andrew Jones: The Department does not exclude successful bidders from bidding for other franchises because this is a matter for the relevant competition authority. The award of a franchise may constitute a relevant merger situation under the Enterprise Act 2002, or a concentration under the EU Merger Regulation, and therefore may be investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority or European Commission, depending on the identity of the bidder. The Department does ask bidders to submit an assessment of the competition impacts of their bid.

Department for Transport: Procurement

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2019 to Question 233527, if he will provide the number of contracts that were awarded by his Department without the formal oversight of the Procurement Assurance Board in (a) 2016 (b) 2017 and (c) 2018.

Jesse Norman: The information requested could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Railways: Gloucestershire

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans for improvements to be introduced to the Cheltenham or Gloucester to London rail links; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: Great Western Railway is planning to introduce its enhanced timetable on 15 December this year. This sees the current two-hourly through train service between Cheltenham/Gloucester and London increased to hourly.

Network Rail: Pay

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish Network Rail senior employee salaries of over £100,000 pa by (a) name, (b) position and (c) salary range.

Jesse Norman: There is no intention to publish information on Network Rail employee salaries of over £100,000 per annum.

Railways: Staff

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains operated with a second staff member on board in (a) 2017 and (b) 2018.

Andrew Jones: Whilst the majority of trains on the rail network continue to operate with two members of staff on board, the Department does not hold the level of detailed information sought as this is a matter for operators themselves. It remains the case that Driver Only Operation (DOO) and Driver Controlled Operation (DCO) have been used on the rail network for over 30 years and over 50% of all passenger journeys are now on such train services, including on Thameslink and the London Overground and Underground.

Railways: Disability

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve accessibility on the railway for disabled passengers.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government’s Inclusive Transport Strategy: Achieving Equal Access for Disabled People was published in July 2018. Its ambition is to create a transport system that provides equal access for disabled people by 2030, with assistance if physical infrastructure remains a barrier. The Inclusive Transport Strategy included a commitment to extend our Access for All programme to 2024 with an additional £300m of funding from the public purse. The Department will be introducing a new set of accessibility requirements such as the introduction and the delivery of enhanced disability awareness training to all train operating company staff, regardless of role or seniority, in future rail franchises.

Railways: Disability

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy on driver only operation trains of the advice from the Equality and Human Rights Commission that such trains would offer less protection for disabled people and potentially be in breach of the Equality Act 2010.

Andrew Jones: The Department has not been in receipt of advice from the EHRC regarding Driver Only Operation and whether or not it could offer less protection for disabled people. The Department recognises how important it is that those who need assistance to travel receive that assistance. As a condition of their licence, all train operators are required to have a Disabled People’s Protection Policy in place which includes a requirement to participate in the Passenger Assist system for disabled passengers to book staff assistance when they require it. This Policy must be approved by the independent regulator, the Office for Rail and Road.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department last revised the modal shift data for High Speed Two; and if he will publish those findings.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: HS2 Ltd regularly review assumptions for the purpose of economic modelling. The proportion of passengers predicted to switch from car and air to HS2, was last published by HS2 Ltd in 2013. This information is provided from page 82 of the document linked here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/365065/S_A_1_Economic_case_0.pdf The analysis will be updated to support future revisions to the Economic Case as part of planned updates to the HS2 Business Case. The proportion of HS2 demand predicted to have switched from air and car has not materially changed since the 2013 publication.

Road Traffic Control: Kent

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Operation Brock (a) how many Highways England traffic officers have been redeployed to Kent and (b) how much money has been allocated to cover their accommodation costs for that Operation.

Jesse Norman: Highways England have plans to redeploy 80 Traffic Officers under arrangements to support Operation Brock in Kent. The package of hotel and food costs for these staff is £119 per officer per diem. The Traffic Officers will be carrying out their normal duties, but in an enhanced capacity in what is expected to be a highly congested area. Activities will include:- Rapid attendance to incidents,- Monitoring, operation and supervision of new traffic management arrangements,- Reporting on queue lengths and responding to issues,- Providing a visible presence to inspire confidence and encourage compliance. Under these plans there will be approximately 140 Traffic Officers working a 24/7 roster (30 on duty at any one time). These resources are being managed by a dedicated operational management team, from a shared multi-agency operating base in Maidstone.

Road Traffic Control: Kent

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what measures his Department has put in place to provide cover for the areas from which traffic officers have been redeployed to Kent as part of Operation Brock.

Jesse Norman: Highways England have carefully considered the impact of redeploying Traffic Officers to Kent from different parts of the country to assist in the management of Operation Brock in Kent. The agency has been taking appropriate measures to manage its staffing and resources effectively so as to ensure there is suitable resilience across all regions of the Strategic Road Network (SRN), and that required resourcing levels are achieved on every shift across the SRN.

Highways England: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what (a) reasons and (b) duration pay increases for staff at Highways England are at one per cent.

Jesse Norman: For many employees in grades below the senior group the 2018-19 pay review was based on a 1% increase. The actual increase for each individual was then determined by the application of a performance multiplier, informed by annual performance reviews, which resulted in a range of awards from 0.75% to 2%. These awards were made in line with the Department for Transport’s Remuneration Framework for Highways England. Highways England also made pay awards to Traffic Officers (3%) and Regional Control Centre operators (9.8%) to address market pay issues. Overall, the average pay award made by Highways England for all grades below the senior group was an increase of over 4.5%. Highways England determines the annual pay review each year based on factors including affordability within its budget.

Railways: Bescot

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials of his Department have had with Network Rail on its plans to build a new sleeper factory at Bescot Rail Yard to replace its facility at Washwood Heath, Birmingham; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: A proposal for a new facility in Bescot is being developed by Network Rail to produce the sleepers necessary for them to maintain, renew, and enhance our rail network. Development of the proposed facility is the responsibility of Network Rail. Department of Transport officials have this year discussed the proposed facility with Network Rail in order to provide accurate information to Parliament. I have no plans to make a statement about the proposed facility.

Railways

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what sum Network Rail has spent on railway sleepers in the past 12 months; and whether Network Rail is stockpiling railway sleepers.

Andrew Jones: A proposal for a new facility in Bescot is being developed by Network Rail to produce the sleepers necessary for them to maintain, renew, and enhance our rail network. The facility is intended to make up the shortfall when an existing facility at Washwood Heath is closed to become an HS2 depot. Network Rail is managing the demand for and supply of sleepers to address the risk from limited production capacity. A stockpile of sleepers has been established to meet demand between Washwood Heath ceasing production in ten weeks’ time and the replacement facility reaching production capacity. Network Rail has spent approximately £32m on sleepers in the last financial year.

Railways: Bescot

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff in (a) his Department and (b) Network Rail are working on Network Rail’s proposal to build a new sleeper factory at Bescot Rail Yard to replace its facility at Washwood Heath, Birmingham.

Andrew Jones: A proposal for a new facility in Bescot is being developed by Network Rail to produce the sleepers necessary for them to maintain, renew, and enhance our rail network. Approximately twenty Network Rail staff are working on this proposal in some way. Their work currently sums to the equivalent of five full-time staff. Development of the proposed facility is the responsibility of Network Rail. No Department for Transport officials are directly involved in the proposal.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Green Alliance

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has taken steps to support the Green Alliance’s Community Energy Manifesto; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: I am really impressed by the work community groups up and down the United Kingdom are already doing to help their wider communities decarbonise and get involved in this transition. In the Clean Growth Strategy, I announced the creation of a Local Energy Contact Group and a Local Energy Programme. The Contact group made up of communities, local authorities and local enterprise partnerships and provides local insight for policy teams across BEIS. The Local Energy Programme has funded Local Energy Strategies in every Local Enterprise Partnership. These strategies will feed into the newly developed Local Energy Hubs, also funded by BEIS to create capacity and capability to help Local Authorities deliver low carbon energy projects at scale. I have brought the Rural Community Energy Fund into my department to allow it to integrate better with the other work we are doing on heat and local ownership. Together with the Local Energy Programme, that will be almost £20m committed by this Government to support local energy in the last three years. Alongside this we have launched Prospering from the Energy Revolution, a £100m innovation fund designed to support local areas demonstrate future integrated energy systems. This funding will unlock commercial investment in our local energy system and following a successful national Local Green finance event in Leeds in January, we will be supporting five regional events this summer to bring investors and local projects together.The Government has a clear vision for an energy system which fairly rewards flexibility for the value it provides to the system. We have set out in our The Smart Systems & Flexibility Plan, and in the Progress Update in October 2018, a number of actions to open up markets to distribution-connected flexibility, including community energy groups. We are also consulting on a range of changes to the energy market which offer communities a chance to have their say, and ensuring consumers are at the heart of the future energy system.

Innovate UK: Grants

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of Innovate UK grant funding has been awarded to (a) SMEs and (b) large companies since 2004; and what the amount awarded has been by sector over that period.

Chris Skidmore: Innovate UK (part of UK Research and Innovation) is successfully delivering significant cross-cutting programmes, such as the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund and supporting the Industrial Strategy ambition to raise total R&D investment to 2.4% of GDP by 2027. Innovate UK’s total core funding to businesses since 2014 was £4,927,852,733.  A breakdown is provided in the table below: Total funding to SMEs* (including non-core)£2,181,060,497Total funding to Large (including non-core)£2,746,792,236 Non-core funding refers to funding given to Innovate UK by other government departments to deliver specific programmes.  Total funding to SMEs* (excluding non-core)£1,909,487,601Total funding to Large (excluding non-core)£1,502,060,647*based on “self-declared” enterprise size SectorGrant funding (total)Aerospace£902,108,585Agri-Tech£100,604,518Energy£293,617,745Healthcare£296,251,076Life Science£31,839,677Materials & Manufacturing£43,862,354Space£20,741,617Transport£450,715,025Other sectors£2,788,112,136

European Research Council: Grants

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government has taken to ensure the latest cohort of successful European Research Council Advanced Grant applicants are aware of the underwrite that exists should the UK leave the EU without a deal before the conditions of their grants have been finalised.

Chris Skidmore: The Government underwrite guarantee will cover funding for all successful UK bids to Horizon 2020 that are submitted before exit, even if they are notified of success after exit. This includes the 47 successful UK bids to the ERC Advanced Grant 2018 call which form part of the €540m funding recently announced by the European Commission for cutting edge research. The UKRI portal was announced in the Horizon 2020 Technical Notice and is part of our plans to underwrite funding for UK Horizon 2020 beneficiaries in the event of ‘no deal’. In this scenario, UK beneficiaries who have registered on the UKRI portal will receive detailed information about how the guarantee will be delivered and the next steps that they need to take. Since the announcement of the underwrite guarantee in 2016, the Government has consistently reiterated our commitment to deliver it, should it be required. Methods used include Ministerial statements in Parliament, digital engagement by both BEIS and our delivery partner UKRI, and direct engagement with business and stakeholder groups.

Civil Servants: Scotland

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his Department has had with the Cabinet Office on his Department having a civil service presence in Scotland.

Kelly Tolhurst: BEIS already has a presence in Scotland. Through the core department and 7 of its partner organisations, BEIS has a presence of over 800 people, based primarily in Edinburgh (459), Glasgow (223) and Aberdeen (120), with smaller numbers in other locations. Last November, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster wrote to all Secretaries of State setting out the importance of the Government's commitment to relocate both public bodies and Civil Service roles into the regions and nations of the United Kingdom. To support this, the Places for Growth Programme are increasing their engagement with departments in the run up to the Spending Review and are drawing on advice and support from colleagues across Whitehall, including the BEIS Industrial Strategy Team.   For information – further detail on locations of BEIS and its partner organisations The table below sets out these organisations (correct as of August 2018): OrganisationLocationHeadcountBEIS – Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment & Decommissioning (OPRED)Aberdeen89OFGEMGlasgow131UK Research & InnovationMultipleEdinburgh – 354 Glasgow – 3 Perth – 1 Dumfries - 1 Total - 359Met OfficeMultipleAberdeen – 31 Edinburgh – 29 Nairn and Moray – 12 Shetland – 5 Dumfries and Galloway – 3 Total - 84ACASGlasgow89Insolvency ServiceEdinburgh44Companies HouseEdinburgh32Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)MultipleCaithness and Sutherland - 3 Ross and Cromarty – 2 Total - 5Grand Total 833

Regional Growth Fund

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the Barnett consequentials for Scotland will be of the UK Government’s Regional Growth Fund in each year for which information is available.

Kelly Tolhurst: Decisions on future funding via the Regional Growth Fund will be taken as part of the Spending Review announced by my rt. hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer in his recent Spring Statement.

Regional Assistance: Scotland

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on (a) regional aid for Scotland and (b) additional funding for Scotland.

Kelly Tolhurst: I meet regularly with my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland on a number of issues. Recently we met ahead of the Government’s Spring Statement announcement of £260m towards the Borderlands Growth Deal. Decisions on future funding will be taken as part of the Spending Review announced by my rt. hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer in his recent Spring Statement.

Stocks and Shares: Channel Islands

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many companies are registered with Companies House as listing on the Channel Islands Stock Exchange.

Kelly Tolhurst: Companies House cannot provide this data: legislation does not require companies to give it this information.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Baltic States and Former Soviet Republics: Disinformation

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking with his overseas counterparts to tackle the distribution of disinformation in (a) Ukraine, (b) Belarus and (c) the Baltic States.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​We have a regular dialogue with international partners on the challenge posed by hostile state disinformation, including to align donor support in this field. The Foreign Secretary discussed disinformation at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 21 January in the context of the European Commission's ambitious Action Plan Against Disinformation. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's own dedicated Counter Disinformation and Media Development Programme aims to protect national security by countering disinformation directed at the UK and its Allies from Russia. It funds projects in a number of different countries that seek to enhance independent media, support civil society organisations that expose disinformation and share good practice with partner governments. Media plurality, institutional resilience and public awareness provide strong defences against disinformation, whatever the source, and sit at the heart of our efforts. In particular, we are supporting a new Open Information Partnership of European Non-Governmental Organisations, charities, academics, think-tanks and journalists which are working to respond to manipulated information in the news, social media and across the public space.

Bahrain: Technical Assistance

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the his Department's Integrated Activity Fund in Bahrain .

Mark Field: All programming is subject to governance arrangements and evaluation to ensure it continues to deliver in line with objectives.

Bahrain: Detainees

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he his making to his Bahraini counterpart on the welfare of female human rights defenders detained in Isa Town Prison.

Mark Field: The UK has a continuing dialogue with the Government of Bahrain and all Bahraini human rights oversight bodies. We continue to encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight body. We urge these oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations.

Chemical Weapons

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made in implementing an EU sanctions regime on the use of chemical weapons.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The UK played a key role in EU efforts to establish a new Chemical Weapons sanctions regime, which was adopted on 15 October 2018. This regime enables an asset freeze and travel ban to be imposed on those involved in the use and proliferation of chemical weapons, regardless of their nationality or location. On 21 January 2019, the EU added 9 individuals and 1 entity to the regime, which included those involved in the proliferation and use of chemical weapons in Syria, and members of the Main Intelligence Directorate responsible for the use of a Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury in March 2018. This strong collective action sends a clear message that the use of these barbaric weapons will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

Brunei: Homosexuality

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has taken any steps to raise concerns with the Government of Brunei on the Sultan prescribing death by stoning as a punishment for gay sex.

Mark Field: I raised UK concerns about hudud punishments during my visit to Brunei Darussalam in August 2018. More recently I raised our concerns on Friday 29 March in a letter to the Deputy Foreign Minister. Additionally the British High Commission in Bandar Seri Begawan regularly discusses our concerns with the Government of Brunei.We will continue to encourage and work with the Bruneian Government, as with many other countries, to remove corporal and capital punishment from their statutes. We will also urge them to take steps to decriminalise and pass laws to protect LGBT people from all forms of discrimination.The UK believes in the right to live with dignity, free from violence or discrimination irrespective of a person’s sexual orientation. The International community must uphold the universality of human rights; the criminalisation of same-sex relations is wrong.The UK is committed to combating discrimination and violence against LGBT people throughout the Commonwealth and ensured that last year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Communique included the most progressive language yet on LGBT rights, complimented by an historic speech from the Prime Minister, and backed up with major programme spending on gender equality and LGBT rights.Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice has been updated to alert British citizens of the introduction of the new local laws in Brunei and we continue to lobby against the use of such punishments.

Brunei: LGBT People

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department plans to update their travel advice to LGBT+ identifying British citizens working and visiting Brunei.

Mark Field: Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice has been updated to alert British citizens of the introduction of the new local laws in Brunei and we continue to lobby against the use of such punishments. The High Commission stands ready to provide consular assistance to British citizens if required.

Brunei: LGBT People

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government plans to take to protect British citizens who identify as LGBT+ who are working and travelling in Brunei.

Mark Field: Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice has been updated to alert British citizens of the introduction of the new local laws in Brunei and we continue to lobby against the use of such punishments. The High Commission stands ready to provide consular assistance to British citizens if required.

Commonwealth: LGBT People

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to raise the issue of LGBT+ rights with other Commonwealth nations.

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to promote LGBT+ rights and safety in the Commonwealth.

Mark Field: ​Ministers continue to urge Commonwealth countries to uphold the universality of human rights, to decriminalise same-sex relations and to pass laws to protect their LGBT+ people from violence and discrimination. At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting last year, the Prime Minister set out the UK's readiness to support any member state wanting to reform legislation which makes possible discrimination on the grounds of gender identity or sexual orientation. The Prime Minister was clear that, while we must respect one another's cultures and traditions, we must do so in a manner consistent with our common value of equality, a value which is clearly stated in the Commonwealth Charter.The Government has allocated £5.6 million to enable the Equality and Justice Alliance – a consortium of civil society organisations – to support those countries who wish to reform legislation which discriminates on the grounds of gender identity or sexual orientation. Several member states have expressed interest in this offer of technical assistance for legislative change. Due to the highly sensitive and sometimes dangerous nature of this work, it would not be appropriate to name specific countries.

South Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to support further peace negotiations in South Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK welcomed the signing of the Revitalised Agreement for the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) on 12 September 2018. Alongside our international partners, we remain closely engaged to support implementation of the agreement in full. This includes our diplomatic engagement in Juba and the wider region to urge all parties to deliver the commitments made to enable a sustainable end to the conflict.​

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Consultants

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many consultants her department has hired since 2016; and what cost to the public purse has been of such consultants.

John Penrose: The Department does not hold information on the number of consultants hired in any one year as this work is often commissioned as part of an outcomes based contract to ensure value for money.The amount spent on consultants each year since 2016 is:2016-17 - £ 5,0002017-18 - £ 79,600

Welfare State: Northern Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions her Department has had with officials in the Department for Work and Pensions on the extension of mitigation payments on welfare reform in Northern Ireland.

John Penrose: Following the Fresh Start Agreement, funding was made available by the Executive to mitigate the impact of welfare reform in Northern Ireland. This funding ends in March 2020. The Department for Communities in Northern Ireland is responsible for the delivery of the various mitigation schemes relating to welfare reform in Northern Ireland. A decision to extend mitigations beyond March 2020 would be a matter for the Northern Ireland Civil Service and not the Department for Work and Pensions.

Department of Health and Social Care

Epilepsy

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to maintain levels of funding for epilepsy (a) research and (b) treatment after the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and the healthcare system, including epilepsy. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics. After the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, the NIHR will continue to welcome applications for funding, which will be subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. There have been 10 studies directly funded by the NIHR relating to epilepsy in the last five financial years, from 2013/14 to 2017/18, with total spend of £9.4 million. Additionally, over the same period, there has been support through the NIHR Clinical Research Networks for 180 studies, with total expenditure of £16.7 million, as well as support for 95 studies through other NIHR infrastructure. There are a further four NIHR-funded studies starting in 2019 related to epilepsy.

Epilepsy: Deaths

Mr Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report entitled, Deaths associated with neurological conditions in England 2001 to 2014, published by Public Health England, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the conclusion that people with epilepsy are three times more likely to die from their condition if they live in a deprived area.

Mr Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with (a) clinicians and (b) NHS leadership on the findings of Public Health England’s report into Deaths associated with neurological conditions in England 2001 to 2014; and what assessment he has made of the implications of those findings for his Department's work to prevent future deaths from epilepsy.

Caroline Dinenage: Ministers routinely meet the system leaders to discuss a broad range of issues concerning population health, including long term health problems. The Department works closely with NHS England and Public Health England (PHE) to support delivery of the Mandate and system objectives. The PHE report, Deaths associated with neurological conditions in England 2001 to 2014, was developed by PHE’s Neurology Intelligence Network (NIN), and published on 27 February 2018. The report found that a greater proportion of epilepsy related deaths occur in areas of higher levels of deprivation. The rate of deaths associated with epilepsy in areas ranked as the most deprived in England is almost three times larger than in the least deprived; 13 deaths per 100,000 population compared to 5 deaths per 100,000 population. A copy of the report can be found at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/deaths-associated-with-neurological-conditions Wider research has shown that epilepsy prevalence varies with social deprivation, but this is not well understood, and it is not clear whether this inequality in mortality is the consequence of the increased prevalence seen in deprived areas, of poor care, or both. However, deprivation is a well-known determinant of poor general health, and although there is insufficient evidence to describe the relationship as causal, it underlines the health inequalities link in relation to epilepsy related deaths. The Government is acting broadly to reduce health inequalities by addressing the social causes of ill health, promoting healthier lifestyles for all and tackling differences in outcomes of NHS services, all underpinned by legal duties. Through the Mandate the Government has asked NHS England to ensure service commissioning focuses on measurable reductions in inequalities in access to health services, in people’s experience of the health system, and across a specified range of health outcomes which contribute to reducing inequalities in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy. National and local outcomes frameworks feature indicators to measure improvements across a range of areas, including inequalities, and the Mandate asks NHS England to do more in increasing the transparency on services and outcomes that these frameworks provide. At a national level, NHS England is the organisation responsible for securing and supporting high quality outcomes for people with epilepsy, and the vast majority of services for people with the condition are planned and commissioned by local clinical commissioning groups. Action is led locally to ensure the solutions put in place reflect the needs of individual communities. NHS England’s RightCare programme provides practical support to local commissioners to tackle unwarranted variation, including in services for neurological conditions like epilepsy. NHS England is also working with the Neurological Alliance to support the Neurology Advisory Group, led by Professor Adrian Williams, to align work across the system to improve neurological care. In addition to developing the neurology mortality report, PHE’s NIN provides a broad range of data on disease, services and outcomes, including for epilepsy, to support local commissioners to benchmark services and drive improvement. The neurology mortality report will provide further focus for commissioners in considering whether there are any changes they need to make in terms of service planning and provision, including around the inequality issues identified.

National Child Measurement Programme

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the merits of extending the National Child Measurement Programme to other primary school age groups.

Jackie Doyle-Price: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Primary Care (Steve Brine MP) to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Luciana Berger MP) on 7 February 2019 to Question 216349.

Alopecia

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people in the UK who suffer with mental health as a consequence of alopecia.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not collected.

NHS: Procurement

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much money from the public purse has been spent on approving suppliers to the NHS in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Stephen Hammond: There is no single or definitive route for approving suppliers to the National Health Service therefore the information cannot be provided in the format requested.

NHS: Procurement

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of CCGs that are using suppliers that have not been officially approved by the NHS.

Stephen Hammond: National Health Service organisations can currently buy goods and services from many sources, within the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and national and local procurement policies and there is no single or definitive list of approved suppliers to the NHS. Clinical commissioning groups may use any supplier where they are satisfied that the provider is supplying the goods or delivering the service to the required price and quality and therefore the requested information cannot be provided.

NHS: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people working on the CSC Local Service Provider Delivery Programme are (a) contingent labour, (b) supplier resource and (c) civil servants.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people working on the NHSmail 2 programme are (a) contingent labour, (b) supplier resource and (c) civil servants.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people working on the National Data Services Development Programme are (a) contingent labour, (b) supplier resource and (c) civil servants.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people working on the Health and Social Care Network are (a) contingent labour, (b) supplier resource and (c) civil servants.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information requested is shown in the following table: ProgrammeContingent labourSupplier resource1NHS Digital employees2Civil servantsCSC Local Service Provider Delivery programme0n/a80NHSmail 2 programme3n/a220Data Processing Services (formerly National Data Services Development programme)3n/a350Health and Social Care Network7n/a520Source: NHS Digital Notes: The figures represent full time equivalents assigned to the programme or service in March 2019 (to the nearest whole number).1Contracts with suppliers are for the delivery of a service rather than resources.2NHS Digital employees are public servants employed on National Health Service terms and conditions.The figures include those staff employed on a permanent or fixed term basis within NHS Digital.

Health Education: Nutrition

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of holding classes in local schools to teach parents how to cook quick, nutritious and affordable meals.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Public Health England has made no such assessment.

General Practitioners: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time for a non-emergency GP appointment was in Warrington at the last date for which figures are available.

Caroline Dinenage: The time between booking an appointment with a general practice and having the appointment in days for Warrington Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is presented in the following table for January 2019, the latest data available. A 12 month average from February 2018-January 2019 has also been added.Time between booking an appointment with a general practice and having the appointment (days)Percentage of appointments Warrington CCGJanuary 2019Average over the 12 months February 18 – January 19Same Day45.1%46.1%1 Day8.0%7.8%2 to 7 Days18.1%17.1%8 to 14 Days13.0%12.9%15 to 21 Days6.6%7.3%22 to 28 Days3.9%4.2%More than 28 Days5.1%4.7%Total100.0%100.0% The time between booking an appointment with a general practice and having the appointment in days for Warrington CCG is presented above for the last published month January 2019 and as a 12 month average from February 2018 - January 2019.

Prosthetics: Recycling

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department provides to hospitals on the recycling of parts from prosthetic limbs.

Caroline Dinenage: Prosthetic limbs provided by NHS Limb Centres are bespoke which limits their reusability; whilst individual services may have their own arrangements in place for recycling parts, NHS England and the Department do not issue guidance on this.

Eating Disorders

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government is going to meet the targets for referral to treatment of individuals with eating disorders of (a) four weeks for under-19s and (b) one week for the most severe cases.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The National Health Service is making good progress towards the children and young people’s eating disorder waiting time target, with latest data for Quarter 3 2018/19 (October – December 2018) showing that 80.7% of young people started treatment for an urgent case within one week against a target of 95% by 2020/21. This report also showed that 86.8% of young people started treatment for a routine case within four weeks against a target of 95% by 2020/21. This data is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cyped-waiting-times/

Halton Hospital

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide funding for a new Halton Hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: Warrington and Halton NHS Foundation Trust’s bid for a ‘Hospital and Wellbeing Campus in Halton’ was unsuccessful in the latest round of sustainability and transformation partnerships (STP) capital allocations. This latest round of bids was heavily over-subscribed against the remaining funding. This was the last planned round of STP capital allocations in advance of the Spending Review and any further funding rounds will be dependent on the outcome of Spending Review later this year, which will set departments’ overall capital budgets in future years.

Mental Health Services: Hospital Beds

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made on the adequacy of the number of mental health beds.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department and NHS England are aware of the pressures on the provision of mental health beds. In February 2016, the Commission on Acute Adult Psychiatric Care published a final report, ‘Old Problems, New Solutions: Improving acute inpatient psychiatric care for adults in England’, which highlighted that the challenges of finding beds is not simply due to a reduction of beds, but rather relates to hospital discharge issues and the lack of community care and alternatives to admission. The report is available via the following link: https://nhsproviders.org/media/2114/old-problems-new-solutions-report-lord-crisp-mhg-12-july-2016.pdf

Mental Health Services: Staff

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many approved mental health professionals have been employed by the NHS in each year since 2010.

Jackie Doyle-Price: There are no official statistics for the number of approved mental health professionals employed by the National Health Service.

Mental Health Services: Staff

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many mental health social workers have been employed in each financial year since 2009-10.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The data is not held in the format requested.

Mental Health Services: Children

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children have died in psychiatric in-patient units in each year since 2010.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department does not hold the information requested prior to 2013. Since January 2013, the National Health Service has reported 22 deaths of patients under the care of inpatient children and young people’s mental health services as follows: - 2013 (four deaths);- 2014 (three deaths);- 2015 (two deaths);- 2016 (two deaths);- 2017 (three deaths);- 2018 (four deaths); and- 2019 (four deaths). All of these deaths were reported as suspected self-inflicted deaths at the point of notification to the Department. The final determination of cause of death is determined by the Coroner at inquest. Al deaths of patients under the care of inpatient children and young people’s mental health services are reported to Ministers, the Care Quality Commission, and the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health which includes the figures in its annual reports.

Mental Health Services: Restraint Techniques

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many physical injuries have been caused to mental health patients by the use of restraint in each year since 2010.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not collected centrally.

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: Secondment

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2019 to Question 236571, what estimate she has made of the further number of deployments required from her Department.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID is focussing on progressing current matches into actual deployments and will respond to further requests as appropriate. The work to match and deploy to cross-government priorities is iterative and likely to continue in the immediate future, as DFID continues to support other government departments with increased demands. It is not possible at this point to state with certainty how many more deployments will be required to support EU exit work across government.

Department for International Development: Secondment

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2019 to Question 236571, what estimate she has made of the number of departmental staff that can be deployed while maintaining the effectiveness of her Department's performance.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID has undertaken a detailed prioritisation exercise to assess the internal resource required to maintain essential delivery. For DFID, this entails meeting the legal commitment to spend 0.7% of GNI (Gross National Income) on international development in an effective and value for money way and the ability to respond to humanitarian emergencies.

Africa: Ebola

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to help restrict the spread of Ebola in Africa.

Harriett Baldwin: The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the largest in the country’s history and the second largest on record. The UK has adopted a ‘no regrets’ approach to help bring it to an end as quickly as possible, minimising loss of life and impact on communities. We are one of the leading supporters of the response, providing funding and technical expertise to the WHO and others to break the transmission chain (through treatment centres, contact tracing, vaccination, safe and dignified burials, and other such means). Given the significant risk that Ebola may spread into neighbouring countries, we are also the leading donor for regional preparedness.With case numbers continuing to increase, it is important to maintain focus on the Strategic Response Plan and working effectively with local communities, particularly in areas of active conflict. The UK continues to actively influence the UN, other donors and countries in the region to ensure an appropriate level of preparedness and response.

South Sudan: Third Sector

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to support capacity building in South Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: Building the capacity of local institutions is vital to help lay the foundations for future development in South Sudan. The UK is a lead contributor to the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund which has, for the last five years, provided funding to local NGOs including a significant percentage for internal capacity development. In addition, through the Health Pooled Fund and Girls Education South Sudan programmes we work alongside local institutions to maintain and develop their capacity to deliver basic services to the population, despite very low levels of government investment.

Department for International Development: Secondment

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2019 to Question 236571 on Department for International Development: Secondment, how many of the staff provisionally matched to over half of the 175 were from each directorate in that Department.

Harriett Baldwin: Staff are matched from a range of DFID departments, however many of the roles and matches are subject to change as the needs of requesting departments shift. All potential matches are made following the principles that essential DFID business must continue and that we continue the lifesaving humanitarian work that we carry out around the world. This means ensuring that our 0.7% ODA programming is protected and will continue as planned.

Department for Education

Higher Education: Wales

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on the effect of the Augar Review of Post-18 Education and Funding on the higher education sector in Wales.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the frequency and scope were of his discussions with the Welsh Minister for Education and Skills in relation to the Prime Minister’s review of post-18 education.

Chris Skidmore: The government’s Review of Post-18 education and funding is making good progress and the independent panel will report shortly, before the government concludes the overall review later this year. Higher and further education are devolved matters and as such the review is considering the English system only. However, we recognise that students make choices across borders, and changes to the post-18 education system funding in England may have a direct impact on the Devolved Administrations. We are therefore engaging with the relevant governments as appropriate.

Universities: Fees and Charges

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of reducing tuition fees for English students on Welsh universities.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of reducing tuition fees on the ability of universities in the Devolved Administrations to meet the objectives set out in the Government’s Industrial Strategy and create prosperity in the UK’s nations and regions.

Chris Skidmore: The government’s review of post-18 education and funding is making good progress and the independent panel will report shortly, before the government concludes the overall review later this year. As per the Terms of Reference, the review is looking at how we can best support education outcomes that deliver our Industrial Strategy ambitions, by contributing to a strong economy and delivering the skills our country needs. Higher and Further Education are devolved matters and as such the review is considering the English system only. However, we recognise the direct impact the review may have on Devolved Administrations and are engaging with the relevant governments as appropriate.

Children: North East

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data his Department collects in relation to the effectiveness of early years early intervention strategies in (a) Sunderland and (b) the North East.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data his Department collects on the effectiveness of early years early intervention strategies in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) the North West.

Nadhim Zahawi: I refer the hon. Member for Washington and Sunderland West and the hon. Member for Manchester Central to the answer I gave on 01 April 2019 to question 237114.

Bristol University: Freedom of Expression

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Daily Telegraph article entitled University cancels talk on extremist speakers, published on 26 March 2019, if he will commission an inquiry into (a) the circumstances in which the free speech society at Bristol University was prevented from hosting a meeting featuring the author of Extreme Speakers league table; (b) the nine occasions listed in that league table when allegedly extreme speakers were hosted at Bristol University; (c) the criteria applied by the University in deciding to ban meetings on security grounds; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Skidmore: Free speech plays a vital and important role in our society, and universities should be places where students are exposed to a range of issues, including those which may be controversial, and are encouraged to debate and challenge them.It is right that extremist views should be exposed and challenged. That is why, under the Prevent duty, (to have due regard to prevent people being drawn into terrorism), Higher Education (HE) providers must have policies in place around the management of speakers. This means ensuring the right steps are taken to contest extremist narratives and to make sure that those wishing spread hatred do not go unchallenged.However, challenging extremism does not mean banning lawful speech, and the Prevent duty also explicitly requires further and higher education institutions have regard to their duty to secure freedom of speech. It is up to individual institutions to determine who they deem appropriate to invite to speak on their campuses on a case-by-case basis; government does not dictate who should and should not be invited to speak in higher education providers, providing their speech is within the law.We do not routinely comment on individual cases. However, monitoring of the Prevent duty by the Office for Students shows us that HE providers are navigating the balance between freedom of speech and challenging extremism pragmatically and effectively. We recognise that these are complex issues, which is why the government supports the sector on Prevent implementation through our network of Further and HE Regional Prevent Co-ordinators on the ground. We have also worked alongside the Equalities and Human Rights Commission and wider stakeholders to produce the recently published Freedom of Expression guidance. This will enable universities and student unions to understand their obligations for protecting and supporting free speech, and sets out where speech may be unlawful, alongside relevant case studies to support providers in balancing their duties.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Security

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisons in England and Wales have body scanners installed; and whether his Department plans to introduce body scanners in further prisons.

Rory Stewart: We are taking urgent and decisive action to stop contraband, such as drugs and mobile telephones, from entering our prisons. These items pose a significant threat to safety and security. X-ray body scanners allow prison staff to detect items hidden inside prisoners’ bodies. The following prisons in England and Wales already have such body scanners installed: HMP Altcourse, Belmarsh, Doncaster, Forest Bank, Holme House, Leeds, Northumberland and Peterborough. As part of the Government’s £70 million investment in safety, security and decency, we have commenced an installation programme in a number of additional prisons, including the 10 Prisons Project and the long-term and high security estate. These are some of our most challenging prisons and are more likely to face attempts by prisoners to hide contraband inside their bodies in light of other security measures already in place. We will consider whether to introduce additional X-ray body scanners once they have been installed and used in the 10 Prisons Project and long-term and high security estate. In the meantime, we are going out to tender for a new contract that will give the Prison Service the means to purchase further scanners in future.

Legal Aid Scheme

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total amount of spending commitments was that his Department made in its post-implementation LASPO review.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Theft: Prosecutions

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to review the use of Out Of Court Disposals for shop theft; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Prosecutions

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to implement simplified Out of Court Disposals following the 2014 pilot on Adult Out of Court Disposals; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: Out of Court Disposals (OOCDs) allow police to deal quickly and proportionately with low-level offending without recourse to the courts. We are committed to ensuring the most vulnerable offenders can access community-based support, and recognise the benefits of early intervention. So, where an OOCD is appropriate, we encourage the use of disposals which have a condition attached (be that rehabilitative, reparative, punitive or restrictive), which can achieve rapid compensation for victims and/or divert offenders into rehabilitative services to address the root causes of their offending behaviour. We are working in partnership with the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) whose Charging and Out of Court Disposals strategy supports forces moving to the simplified two-tier framework when it is operationally and financially viable.

Crimes of Violence: Shops

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing tougher sanctions for people attacking shop-workers; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: Everyone has the right to feel safe at work and assaults on shop-workers are unacceptable. There are a range of offences someone can be convicted of if they assault a shop-worker. Maximum penalties for offences are set by Parliament and include five years’ custody for assault occasioning actual bodily harm and life imprisonment for the most serious cases of causing grievous bodily harm. There are no plans to increase sentences for assault offences. When making sentencing decisions the courts must follow the relevant sentencing guidelines, produced by the independent Sentencing Council. The Overarching principles: seriousness Guideline and Assault Guideline include an aggravating factor where ‘an offence is committed against those working in the public sector or providing a service to the public’. Where applied, this would merit an increased sentence within the maximum available. The Sentencing Council is reviewing its guidelines on assault and a consultation on a revised guideline is anticipated later this year. On 21 January the Home Office announced the launch of a call for evidence on violence and abuse towards shop workers. The aim of this work is to strengthen our understanding of the issue, including how existing legislation is being applied. The National Retail Crime Steering Group will continue to provide input on tackling this issue.

Reoffenders: Community Orders

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential benefits of commencing section 151 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 to allow courts to issue community orders rather than fines for minor offences by repeat offenders; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: There are no current plans to commence Section 151 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, which allows courts, in certain circumstances, to use community orders for repeat offenders who would normally receive fines. Section 143(2) of that Act requires courts to treat previous convictions as an aggravating factor when sentencing. With reference to shop theft offences, the Sentencing Council’s guideline on theft offences came into force in 2016. This guideline allows for the imposition of community sentences for shop theft in a wide range of circumstances. In cases involving significant persistent offending, the community and custodial thresholds may be crossed even though the offence otherwise warrants a lesser sentence.

Administration of Justice: Females

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure the adequacy of funding for a national network of support services for women in the criminal justice system.

Edward Argar: The Female Offender Strategy sets out our vision of fewer women entering the justice system and serving short custodial sentences, and better conditions for those women in custody. Support for women to help them address the often complex needs that underlie their offending is essential to delivering the vision of the female offender strategy. This is why, across government, we are investing £5 million of funding over two years in community provision for women. This funding will help to sustain and enhance existing services, and will create new services where there is currently a gap. Services such as women’s centres receive funding from a range of sources. We will look at the scope to increase the sustainability of the sector as we take forward implementation of our strategy.

Antisocial Behaviour: Young People

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding his Department allocates to measures designed to prevent and tackle antisocial behaviour among young people.

Edward Argar: Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) play an important role in preventing offending and reoffending by children, which encompasses anti-social behaviour. The Ministry of Justice provided £71.6 million to YOTs through the Youth Justice Board’s (YJB) annual grant in 2018/2019.

Family Law: Advisory Services

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many family law centres are operating in the UK.

Lucy Frazer: There are 1,722 solicitor offices throughout England and Wales who are contracted to provide legal services in family law. Of these, 5 are Law Centres. Offices may hold contracts for multiple types of cases, a complete list is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/directory-of-legal-aid-providers.

Family Courts

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many family courts centres are operating in the UK.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many family courts centres have been operating in the UK in each year since 2010.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many family court centres have been operating in each region of the UK in each year since 2010.

Lucy Frazer: Her Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service is responsible for the administration of the family courts in England and Wales only. Detailed information on which courts dealt with family work prior to 2014 and the creation of the Single Family Court is not available. Information from 2014 is below: Location2014 (from 22nd April)20152016201720182019 to dateLondon121212121212Midlands171717171717North East393939393939North West202020191919South East363636363635South West212121202020Wales171717171717National162162162160160159

Hunting Act 2004

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were (a) cautioned, (b) proceeded against and (c) convicted of an offence under the Hunting Act 2004 in each police force area in 2018.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were (a) cautioned, (b) proceeded against and (c) convicted of an offence under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 in each police force area in each year since 2005.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were (a) cautioned, (b) proceeded against and (c) convicted of an offence under the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 in each police force area in each year since 2005.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were (a) cautioned, (b) proceeded against and (c) convicted of an offence under the Game Act 1831 in each police force area in each year since 2005.

Rory Stewart: The number of offenders cautioned, defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and found guilty at all courts for these offences, in England and Wales, by Police Force Area, from 2005 to 2017 can be viewed in the attached tables. Where a police force area does not feature in the table, there are no cautions, or alternatively, prosecutions or convictions for that area for that offence during the period. Offences under Section 13(7) of the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 can only be separately identified from 2011 onwards. Court proceedings and cautions data for 2018 is planned for publication on 16 May 2019



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 27.95 KB)

Reoffenders: Community Orders

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of commencing Section 151 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 to allow courts to deal more appropriately with low-level offences by repeat offenders through the use of community orders rather than fines.

Rory Stewart: There are no current plans to commence Section 151 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, which allows courts, in certain circumstances, to use community orders for repeat offenders who might otherwise expect to receive fines. Section 143(2) of that Act requires courts to treat previous convictions as an aggravating factor when sentencing. For shop theft offences, the Sentencing Council’s guideline on theft offences came into force in 2016. This guideline allows for the imposition of community sentences for shop theft in a wide range of circumstances. In cases involving significant persistent offending, the community and custodial thresholds may be crossed even though the offence otherwise warrants a lesser sentence.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the (a) trends in the number of and (b) proportion of personal independence payment appeals that were successful in (a) Brighton and Hove and (b) the UK in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: I have had two meetings with the Minister for Disabled People at the Department for Work and Pensions on the importance of getting decisions right first time. Our two Departments are working together on how to bring about improvements, including using feedback from the tribunal judiciary.Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service is developing a new digital system which enables speedier processing of appeals and a better service for all parties to the proceedings. Case-management “triage” sessions are also being conducted, with the aim of reducing the number of cases that progress to an oral hearing.

Offenders: Veterans

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the number of former armed services personnel in (a) custody, (b) under probation supervision and (c) on parole in (i) Wales and (ii) England.

Edward Argar: In October 2018, the Department published Experimental Statistics on ex-service personnel in the prison population. This new analysis estimates as of 30 June 2018 in prison custody in Wales, out of 2,836 prisoners who were asked and an answer was recorded, 141 (5%) stated they had been a member of the armed forced. In prison custody in England, out of 48,147 prisoners who were asked and an answer was recorded, 1,891 (4%) stated they had been a member of the armed forces. Details of custodial statistics of the report and tables can be found at:a) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/750708/ex-service-personnel-prison-population-2018.pdfb) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/750710/ex-service-personnel-2018.ods As of 30 June 2018, the Department estimates that 2,453 individuals under probation supervision declared they had been members of the armed forces of which, (i) 221 were in Wales and (ii) 2,232 were in England. Of this group, 800 individuals were on some form of post-sentence supervision following custody; (i) 96 were in Wales and (ii) 704 in England. Armed forces status is determined by self-declaration and the Department is committed to increasing declaration rates. These figures record location of custody or supervision and not nationality. They include service in the reserves and Territorial Army, and those who have foreign and dual nationality who has served in UK or non-UK armed services. Prisoners who choose to identify as veterans are given access to specialist support, this includes support for issues such as PTSD, that may affect them following their service and additional support can be offered by military service charities working with prisons and rehabilitation services.

Prisoners' Release: Females

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women in prison have been Released on Temporary Licence in the last 12 months; and how many women are currently on Release on Temporary Licence.

Rory Stewart: The latest data available shows that there were 649 women released on temporary licence from 1 October 2017 to 30 September 2018, the latest 12-month period for which data is available.The number released on temporary licence varies each day. A snapshot of the data taken on 29th March 2019 shows that there were 138 women released on temporary licence on that day.

Offenders: Employment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to publish updated statistics on employment outcomes for women and men previously published in the Ministry of Justice (2013) National Offender Management Service Offender Equalities Annual Report 2012-13.

Rory Stewart: Employment outcomes were published until 2014-15 in the NOMS Management Information Addendum to the Annual Report. Users can get a broad male / female split based on the prison type. They are available via the link below:www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/449925/mi-addendum.pdf_-_Adobe_Acrobat_Pro.pdfLater this year, subject to data quality, we are intending to publish employment outcomes for 2018-19 as an Annex to the HMPPS Community Performance publication.In addition, in line with the commitments in the Prison Safety and Reform White Paper, we are developing employment measures to assess the performance of prison and probation in supporting prison leavers into employment.From April 2019-20, one such measure will hold governors to account, through the HMPPS Prison Performance Framework, on securing employment for offenders after release.

Treasury

Pensions: Advisory Services

Nick Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of current (a) legal (b) administrative and (c) financial penalties for the provision of poor pension transfer advice.

John Glen: The Government is committed to working with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the independent financial services regulator, to ensure consumers have access to high quality financial advice. The FCA is responsible for ensuring that the financial advice market works well, competitively and fairly. The Government has established a strong regulatory framework to enable the FCA’s work. The FCA has considerable power to take action where it sees evidence of poor pension transfer advice. For example, they may impose a financial penalty on firms or individuals, require the firm to pay redress to its customers, place restrictions on the firm’s permissions or prohibit individuals from operating in financial services.

Public Expenditure

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress he has made on drafting the 2019 spending review.

Elizabeth Truss: As the Chancellor announced at Spring Statement, if a deal with the EU is agreed in the coming weeks, the 2019 Spending Review will be launched before summer recess and conclude alongside an Autumn Budget.

Regional Assistance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total amount of regional aid not subject to the Barnett formula (a) was for each year since 2009 and (b) is projected to be in each year for which information is available for (i) Scotland, (ii) Wales, (iii) Northern Ireland and (iv) each region of England.

Elizabeth Truss: A detailed breakdown of the block grant funding for each of the devolved administrations is available in the Block Grant Transparency publication which is available on line at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/block-grant-transparency-december-2018 This recently developed publication sets out how the block grants for the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and a Northern Ireland Executive have been calculated during the 2015 Spending Review period. Prior to the publication of the Block Grant Transparency document, the Annual Reports of the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Offices each contained data relating to the composition of the block grants.No funding has been provided to English regions outside the scope of the Barnett Formula.

Revenue and Customs: Staff

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2019 to Question 234212 on Revenue and Customs: Staff, whether 58,058 full-time equivalent staff includes Revenue and Customs Digital Technology Services Ltd employees.

Mel Stride: The figure of 58,058 full-time equivalent staff does include Revenue and Customs Digital Technology Services Ltd. employees.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Construction

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 February 2019 to Question 220835 on Housing: Construction, when his Department will be setting out space standards for new homes.

Kit Malthouse: The Nationally Described Space Standard for new homes has been in place since 2015. The Government will be considering the Nationally Described Space Standard as part of its programme to review planning practice guidance and building regulations guidance.

Tenants' Rights: Rented Housing

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has plans to provide additional security of tenure rights for people who have a rented a property for five or more years.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: This Government is committed to protecting the rights of tenants and giving them more security. We are aware that people are living in the private rented sector for much longer. That is why we recently consulted on ways to overcome the barriers to landlords offering longer, more secure tenancies in the private rented sector.We are considering responses to the consultation and will be bringing forward proposals that make the system work for both tenants and landlords. Our proposals relate to tenancies in England only. We will be providing more information on our consultation response shortly.In the meantime, there is nothing to stop tenants asking their landlord for a longer tenancy. We have published a model tenancy agreement which landlords and tenants can use as the basis for longer, family friendly tenancies, available for free at www.gov.uk/government/publications/model-agreement-for-a-shorthold-assured-tenancy. In addition, the measures announced in the Housing White Paper resulted in many of the largest build to rent operators offering their tenants the option of longer tenancies.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many times the multi-agency group that was established to undertake soil surveying at Grenfell Tower has met since November 2018.

James Brokenshire: A Multi-Agency Partnership has been established to provide the relevant expertise to design and oversee delivery of the additional environmental checks in the vicinity of Grenfell Tower, assess risks to public health, and advise health partners on any additional health monitoring and treatment options for residents, should these be required.The Multi-Agency Partnership has met on five occasions since November 2018, with correspondence between meetings.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 29 November 2018, HCWS1126, Grenfell Update, if he will publish the relevant expertise of the independent environmental specialists appointed by the multi-agency soil surveying group.

James Brokenshire: The independent specialist appointed by the Multi-Agency Partnership to undertake Stage 1 of the contaminated land investigation were identified from a list of eleven companies on the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO) Framework for Environmental & Sustainability Consultancy Services (Framework 664, Lot 8b).There are 11 providers on this framework, 5 of which have expertise and experience in investigating contaminated land under the Part 2A regime of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.AECOM is one of the world’s largest remediation company with approximately 3000 professional contaminated land scientists and engineers. They are also the largest contaminated land consultancy in United Kingdom. The UK team has led on over 50 Part 2A investigations across the country. Their experience includes site investigation and environmental monitoring projects for both the private and public sectors – including assessing risks to human health in the context of the Part 2A regime.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 29 November 2018, HCWS1126, Grenfell Update, what progress has been made on work to engage the community on the design and implementation of the soil testing process by the multi-agency soil surveying group.

James Brokenshire: The Government has committed to engage the local community with the contaminated land investigation process from start to finish. We want to understand their concerns and local intelligence so that they are able to influence the design and implementation of the investigation.The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been holding weekly drop in sessions since December 2018, and has engaged over 70 community groups and individuals within the community at meetings and events. We have recently launched a site on the Nextdoor app to keep the community up to date with progress.Representatives from eleven community groups were invited to meet the independent specialists on 27 February before their appointment was confirmed.  Community consultation workshops will take place in late April to help inform the scope and priorities for Stage 1 of the investigation.

Hedges and Ditches

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to strengthen regulations to prevent developers and landowners putting netting on hedgerows.

Kit Malthouse: Wild birds are protected by law and therefore any development project must consider the impact on local wildlife and take precautionary action to protect their habitats. The revised National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment by minimising the impacts on and providing net gains for biodiversity. The Government has announced plans to require developers to deliver biodiversity net gain through the forthcoming Environment Bill. This will mean habitats for wildlife must be left in a measurably better state than they were before any development.

Affordable Housing

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Government's document entitled Homelessness: Causes of Homelessness and Rough Sleeping, published in March 2019, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that there is more affordable housing for people on low incomes.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is committed to increasing the supply of social housing and has made £9 billion available through the Affordable Homes Programme to March 2022 to deliver 250,000 new affordable homes of a wide range of tenures, including homes for social rent.In addition to this, we announced an additional £2 billion of long term funding certainty for housing associations. This extra funding will deliver more affordable homes and stimulate the sector’s wider building ambitions, through strategic partnerships. Our ten year funding commitment through strategic partnerships marks the first time any government has invested such long-term funding in new homes through housing associations.Since 2010, we have delivered over 407,000 new affordable homes, including over 293,000 affordable homes for rent.On 25 March we published a joint study by MHCLG and DWP on the causes of homelessness and rough sleeping. We are currently considering options for how we will take forward the main study following completion of the feasibility study. We will report back to the Public Accounts Committee in June 2019.

Ministry of Defence

Air Force: Training

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the RAF's (a) training resources and (b) number of training aircraft.

Mark Lancaster: RAF flying training is provided through a combination of contractor and internal Ministry of Defence training resources including light aircraft and helicopters, simulators, multi engine aircraft, through to Hawk T2 fast jets. The resource required for all training needs is constantly reviewed in light of changing frontline demands. However, it remains the case, that the flying training pipeline continues to offer sufficient trained aircrew for our current frontline commitments.

Defence: Procurement

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his oral contribution of 25 March 2019, Official Report, column 6, what steps the EU Commission has taken with regard to applying article 346 to the procurement of support ships by other member states.

Stuart Andrew: The European Commission's evaluation report on the Defence Procurement Directive in 2016 can be found at:https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52016DC0762&from=enThe accompanying Commission Staff Working Document can be found at:https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52016SC0407&from=ENThe report found that some Member States may be interpreting exemptions such as Article 346 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union too broadly, resulting in an uneven application of the Directive. The report concluded that the Commission needed to take action to start infringement procedures where serious breaches of European Union law are identified. Consequently, the Commission sent infringement notices to a number of Member States in 2018 for not correctly applying the Directive. I am unable to comment further on these ongoing cases.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the number of people who will move to universal credit from legacy benefits each month from March 2019 to July 2020 apart from people moved as part of the managed migration pilot.

Alok Sharma: The Department forecasts flows rather than the number on the caseload at any given point in time, and therefore cannot be split into monthly forecasts. We estimate that 2.6 million households will move to Universal Credit from legacy benefits due to a change in circumstance.

National Insurance Credits

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the National Insurance Contributions Series CA12 Training for further employment and your National Insurance record and Section 7 of the Social Security (Credits) Regulations 1975 SI 1975/556, whether National Insurance credits for approved training can used towards the Second Contribution Condition for Incapacity Benefit.

Justin Tomlinson: A person undertaking training approved by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions will be awarded Class 1 National Insurance credits. These credits would have helped to satisfy the second contribution condition for Incapacity Benefit before it was abolished.

Jobcentres: Mental Health Services

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps will be taken under the pilot scheme to co-locate mental health advisors in job centres to ensure that claimants enter into psychological therapy voluntarily.

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure claimants’ privacy is upheld when receiving mental health treatment in job centre settings; and whether future mental health referrals will offer claimants alternative community-based treatment in non-job centre settings.

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what level of training mental health advisors will receive prior to their appointment as part of the upcoming pilot scheme to co-locate mental health advisors in job centres.

Justin Tomlinson: To help claimants with mental health conditions access the support they need we have been working in partnership with the NHS and Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) across Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. Work Coaches based at Milton Keynes Jobcentre are now able to make direct referrals to the local IAPT service. Following a referral, the initial assessment of needs takes place within the Jobcentre in a private interview room and is completed by the IAPT Assessor, a qualified Work Psychologist. Claimants can elect to have the assessment take place at an alternative venue other than the Jobcentre should they choose. The initial assessment is a gateway to the IAPT service and claimants will continue to receive support through the IAPT programme where appropriate. Participation is completely voluntary and claimants are able to withdraw at any stage of the process.

Employment Schemes: Epilepsy

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with epilepsy have been helped into employment through (a) the Work and Health Programme, (b) Personal Support Package and (c) Access to Work.

Justin Tomlinson: a) The information on the Work and Health Programme is not readily available and has not previously been published as official statistics. We are considering whether it is feasible to produce the statistics requested and, if so, will issue them in an official statistics release in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. b) The information on the Personal Support Programme is not readily available and has not previously been published as official statistics. c) Access to Work support is available for disabled people who are in work or about to start work. Information on the number of people in receipt of a payment from Access to Work by primary medical condition is published and available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/access-to-work-statistics

Employment Schemes: Disability

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to encourage SMEs to sign up to the Disability Confident scheme.

Justin Tomlinson: There are now over 11,000 employers signed up to Disability Confident, of whom over 7,800 are SMEs. We are using a targeted business-to-business approach to encourage local employers, including SMEs, to sign up to the scheme. For example, we are supporting the development of regional networks, such as KPMG’s Midlands Ability Network and Manchester Ability Network. We are also working to ensure that Disability Confident reflects the diversity of the country’s population, by working with local groups like the Birmingham Asian Business Chamber of Commerce.

Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure the effectiveness of the personal independence payment assessment process for individuals with (a) fluctuating conditions, and (b) neurological conditions that don’t consistently present with physical symptoms.

Justin Tomlinson: We want to enable disabled people to have the same opportunities and choices as non-disabled people. We have, therefore, designed Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to reflect a modern understanding of disability, treating all conditions fairly. Key to the benefit is a more objective assessment, which allows us to accurately and consistently assess individuals’ needs. The PIP assessment is designed to accurately reflect the impact of variations in an individual's level of impairment. The criteria consider an individual’s ability over a 12-month period, ensuring that fluctuations are taken into account. It remains a fundamental principle that the assessment should not just consider whether an individual can complete an activity, but the manner in which they can do it. In March 2013, the Government made changes in the Regulations to make clear that consideration must be given to whether individuals can complete the assessment activities “safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time period”.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2019 to Question 232052 on Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations, if she will make an assessment of the average waiting time at assessment centres; and if she will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: In February 2019, the average waiting time at assessment centres for Work Capability Assessments, was 17.1 minutes. Although the Department does not monitor average waiting times at assessment centres for Personal Independence Payment, there are contractual targets in place for individuals to be seen within 30 minutes of their appointment time. We set our Assessment Providers challenging targets and monitor performance closely. The requirements set out in the contract are demanding and the Department robustly performance manages the providers against those requirements. The Department has a full set of service level agreements setting out expectations for service delivery.

Occupational Pensions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people working on the Automatic Enrolment Programme are (a) contingent labour, (b) supplier resource and (c) civil servants.

Guy Opperman: Automatic Enrolment has transformed workplace pension’s savings. To date, in excess of 10million eligible workers have been automatically enrolled, by over 1.4million employers. A link to the 2017 Automatic Enrolment Review can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/668971/automatic-enrolment-review-2017-maintaining-the-momentum.PDF The current resourcing is 26 full time equivalent civil servants and this headcount consists of programme management, policy, analytical and stakeholder partnering expertise.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support people with acoustic neuroma during the benefits assessment process.

Justin Tomlinson: All Healthcare Professionals carrying out assessments are medically qualified and highly-trained practitioners in their own field and must have at least two years' experience following registration. They are subject to a rigorous recruitment process followed by a comprehensive training programme in disability assessment. The assessment is not a medical assessment requiring the Healthcare Professional to diagnose a condition and recommend treatment options. The focus is on ensuring Healthcare Professionals are experts in disability analysis, drawing on evidence supplied by the claimant and their GP or specialist clinical team, with knowledge of the likely functional effects of a wide range of health conditions. While preparing to undertake an assessment, Healthcare Professionals can access a wide range of clinical resources to research any conditions presented. This includes evidence based protocols, e-learning modules or case studies as well as keeping knowledge up to date through Continuous Professional Development.

Social Security Benefits: Glasgow

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many advance benefit payments have been made to people in Glasgow in each month from September 2018 to March 2019.

Alok Sharma: The following table shows the number of UC Full Service advance payments made in each month in Glasgow since September 2018 for which data is available. Advance CreatedTotal AdvancesSep-18110Oct-18720Nov-181880Dec-182270Jan-193350Feb-193400 Notes:The Figures reflect that Universal Credit full service began rollout across Glasgow from September 2018, with the final site rolling out in November 2018. Nationally around 60% of new claims receive an advance.Figures are rounded to the nearest 10Data is included for Advances paid to UC Full Service Claims made in the constituencies Glasgow North, Glasgow North West, Glasgow North East, Glasgow East, Glasgow Central, Glasgow South, Glasgow South West

Universal Credit: Glasgow

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many new claims for universal credit have been made in each month since September 2018 for (a) Glasgow and (b) Glasgow South West.

Alok Sharma: Statistics on Universal Credit claims by postcode can be found under the ‘Claims to Universal Credit’ dataset available at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Statistics of those in receipt of UC by parliamentary constituency is also available on Stat-Xplore. Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Social Security Benefits: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 29 March 2019 to Question 236387, if she will publish the number of people in each parliamentary constituency in Wales that have waited more than six weeks to receive benefit payments in the latest period for which figures are available.

Alok Sharma: For Universal Credit New Claims, no claimant has to go six weeks without receiving support, as advances, worth up to 100 per cent of a claimant’s indicative award, are available, if required and a two week ‘transitional housing payment’ is available to those claimants who were receiving Housing Benefit before they moved onto Universal Credit. In many cases where full payment is not made on time, it is due to unresolved issues such as: claimants not accepting their Claimant Commitment or passing identity checks, or having outstanding verification issues, such as housing costs and self-employed earnings. In order to support claimants to claim, we have taken steps to improve verification processes. For example, we have listened to feedback and built processes into the system to make it easier and quicker for people to verify their housing costs, for example through the landlord portal. Our latest published data shows that consistently around 85% of new claimants are being paid in full and on time. The attached table shows the number and proportion of UC New Claims who waited more than 6 weeks, of the claim being submitted, to receive full payment/part payment. The data in the table relates to New Claims where the first payment was due in November 2018.All Claimants included in this table would have had access to an advance.



New UC claims in Wales
(Word Document, 21.92 KB)

Universal Credit: Telephone Services

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, where and how the universal credit helpline staff and case managers record the contents of a telephone enquiry including any advice given in cases where a person has not yet submitted their universal credit claim or has a previous universal credit claim which is now closed.

Alok Sharma: All calls taken by helpline staff and case managers in UCFS are recorded in full and are retrievable from our telephony provider based on the originating telephone number. For callers with an active claim, agents will update the Universal Credit system with any relevant information from the call to allow for a continuous service across multiple interactions. Where a caller does not have an active claim this is not possible and the call recording would be the repository for the content of the call.

Employment and Support Allowance

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many ESA65B letters have been sent to GPs since the wording of that letter was revised, in each month in (a) 2018 and (b) 2019.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department does not hold information on the number of ESA65B letters sent to GPs. The ESA65B letter is automatically issued by the IT system to GPs in every case where an Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimant has been found ‘fit for work’. Link to the latest ESA statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-march-2019

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many herds in (a) Area 01, Gloucestershire and (b) Area 02, West Somerset badger control areas were tested with interferon gamma in each year since 2010.

Mr Robert Goodwill: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 05 February 2019.The correct answer should have been:

The number of holdings in a) Area 01, Gloucestershire and b) Area 02, West Somerset that were subject to interferon gamma testing is set out below. This includes the number of samples that were positive. In this instance, ‘herd’ has been interpreted to mean ‘holding (County Parish Holding - CPH)’. Our policy of applying the interferon gamma test in TB affected herds in badger control areas was introduced in April 2017. The data you requested, from that date, is: GloucestershireSomerset excluding North20174920182314 The number of holdings in a) Area 01-Gloucestershire and b) Area 02-Somerset that were subject to interferon gamma testing is set out below. In this instance, ‘herd’ has been interpreted to mean ‘holding (County Parish Holding - CPH)’. YearArea 1-GloucestershireArea 2-Somerset20100020110020120020130020141020150020160120175920181413

George Eustice: The number of holdings in a) Area 01, Gloucestershire and b) Area 02, West Somerset that were subject to interferon gamma testing is set out below. This includes the number of samples that were positive. In this instance, ‘herd’ has been interpreted to mean ‘holding (County Parish Holding - CPH)’. Our policy of applying the interferon gamma test in TB affected herds in badger control areas was introduced in April 2017. The data you requested, from that date, is: GloucestershireSomerset excluding North20174920182314 The number of holdings in a) Area 01-Gloucestershire and b) Area 02-Somerset that were subject to interferon gamma testing is set out below. In this instance, ‘herd’ has been interpreted to mean ‘holding (County Parish Holding - CPH)’. YearArea 1-GloucestershireArea 2-Somerset20100020110020120020130020141020150020160120175920181413

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many herds in Area 03, Dorset (03) badger control areas were tested with interferon gamma in each year since 2012.

Mr Robert Goodwill: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 05 February 2019.The correct answer should have been:

The number of holdings in Area 03, Dorset that were subject to interferon gamma testing is set out below. This includes the number of samples that were positive. In this instance, ‘herd’ has been interpreted to mean ‘holding (County Parish Holding - CPH)’. Our policy of applying the interferon gamma test in TB affected herds in badger control areas was introduced in April 2017. The data you requested, from that date, is: Dorset201712201825  The number of holdings in Area 03-Dorset that were subject to interferon gamma testing is set out below. In this instance, ‘herd’ has been interpreted to mean ‘holding (County Parish Holding - CPH)’.  YearArea 3-Dorset2012020130201402015020160201713201817

George Eustice: The number of holdings in Area 03, Dorset that were subject to interferon gamma testing is set out below. This includes the number of samples that were positive. In this instance, ‘herd’ has been interpreted to mean ‘holding (County Parish Holding - CPH)’. Our policy of applying the interferon gamma test in TB affected herds in badger control areas was introduced in April 2017. The data you requested, from that date, is: Dorset201712201825  The number of holdings in Area 03-Dorset that were subject to interferon gamma testing is set out below. In this instance, ‘herd’ has been interpreted to mean ‘holding (County Parish Holding - CPH)’.  YearArea 3-Dorset2012020130201402015020160201713201817

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Secondment

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which of his Department's arm's-length bodies have seconded staff to his Department (a) since June 2016, (b) in the last 12 months and (c) in the last month.

David Rutley: The information requested is contained in the table below. DateALBs from which Staff were Seconded to Defra a) Since June 2016Animal and Plant Health Agency; Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science; Environment Agency; Forestry Commission; Joint Nature Conservation Committee; Kew Gardens; Marine Management Organisation; Natural England; Rural Payment Agency; Veterinary Medicines Directorateb) In the last 12 monthsAnimal and Plant Health Agency; Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science; Environment Agency; Forestry Commission; Kew Gardens; Marine Management Organisation; Natural England; Rural Payment Agency; Veterinary Medicines Directoratec) In the last monthEnvironment Agency; Forestry Commission

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Secondment

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff of his Department's arm's-length bodies have been seconded to his Department (a) since June 2016, (b) in the 12 months and (c) in the last month.

David Rutley: The information requested is contained in the table below.   Date Total Number of Staff Seconded to Defra from the department’s ALBs Those Seconded from the department’s ALBs to Defra, and remain on Secondment at Present a) June 2016 – All secondments from Defra’s ALBs from June 2016 to date.317150b) Last 12 Months – Those whose secondments started between March 2018 and February 2019. These are included in the number above.9883c) February 2019 – Those whose secondments started in February 2019. These are included in both figures above.33 The figures in the second column ‘Total Number of Staff Seconded to Defra from the department’s ALBs’ are the number of staff who started with Defra on secondment from an ALB within the times specified. It includes staff whose secondments have come to an end and have since returned to their home organisation. The figures in the third column ‘Those Seconded from ALBs to Defra, and remain on Secondment at Present’ are the number of staff who are on secondment from an ALB, and continue to be on secondment to Defra. This number is counted in the total number of secondments.

Air Pollution: Nottinghamshire

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of deaths that can be attributed to poor air quality in Nottinghamshire in each year since 2010.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants estimates that the mortality burden of the air pollution mixture (based on both PM2.5 and NO2) in the UK is equivalent to 28,000 to 36,000 deaths per year. Mortality burden is a statistical way of assessing the impact of diseases and pollution. Deaths of individuals are not attributed directly to air quality. The equivalent figures at a more localised level are not available. Public Health England has, however, estimated the fraction of adult mortality attributable to long-term exposure to particulate air pollution at local authority level in the Public Health Outcomes Framework, available to view and search online at: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/public-health-outcomes-framework.

Fires

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will consult the Upland Game Keepers Association on the Wildfires Review.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Yes.

Home Office

Domestic Violence

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department,  how many (a) people have been charged, (b) cases have been taken to court and (c) convictions have been made since the Serious Crime Act 2015 created a new offence of controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship.

Victoria Atkins: This is a matter for the Ministry of Justice. The 2017 information from MoJ is available online: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2017 in the spreadsheet “Outcomes by Offence Data Tool”.This can be accessed directly with the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733981/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2017-update.xlsx

Terrorism: New Zealand

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home department, if he will make an estimate of the number of (a) print and broadcast media and (b) social media publications accessible from the UK which promote beliefs and rhetorics similar to those used by the perpetrator or perpetrators of the terror attack on two Christchurch mosques on 15 March 2019.

Victoria Atkins: The Government takes the threat from extremism seriously and undertakes research into all forms of extremism using a range of sources of infor-mation, including online and conventional sources of media. We do not comment on specific assessments.

Terrorism: New Zealand

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the number of (a) print and broadcast media and (b) social media publications published within the UK which promote beliefs and rhetorics similar to those used by the perpetrator or perpetrators of the terror attack on two Christchurch mosques on 15 March 2019.

Victoria Atkins: The Government takes the threat from extremism seriously and undertakes research into all forms of extremism using a range of sources of information, including online and conventional sources of media. We do not comment on specific assessments.

Religious Buildings: Security

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of advice his Department provides on safety protocols to maintain public safety and security at places of worship.

Mr Ben Wallace: The police routinely monitor the threats faced by all communities and ensure that there are appropriate protective security measures in place to keep people safe.In addition, as places of worship are recognised as crowded places there is a range of protective security advice and guidance, which is regularly reviewed and revised, from the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO), a unit within Counter Terrorism Policing. This is developed and assured through engagement with policing experts, academia and the Centre for the Protection National Infrastructure (CPNI). It is internationally recognised and many organisations in the UK and overseas reference or replicate the advice for the protection of their crowded places.There is a range of awareness raising and communications activities undertaken by Counter Terrorism Policing, such as ‘Run, Hide, Tell’ which has been created to outline the key steps for keeping safe in the event of a firearms or weapons attack.We have also recently announced an increase in funding for the Places of Worship Protective Security Fund to £1.6 million for 2019-20. This is double the amount awarded last year. In addition, we have committed £5 million over three years for the provision of security training to places of worship. We will be consulting with communities and faith groups to develop and deliver this new scheme as well as review what more should be done.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Coram Children’s Legal Centre's report entitled Making Brexit work for children, what assessment he has made of the potential merits for his policies of that report's recommendations on settlement status of EU national children in the UK.

Caroline Nokes: The Government has either already implemented, or intends to implement, the majority of Coram Children's Legal Centre's report on "Making Brexit Work for Children" recommendations on the settlement status of EU National Children in the UK.For example, when the EU Settlement Scheme fully opens there will be no application fee. We are also developing guidance for local authorities applying on behalf of looked after children; and developing age-appropriate communications content and material for children.

Debts: Fraud

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to protect people whose partners fraudulently take out debts in their name without their knowledge.

Victoria Atkins: Our landmark draft Domestic Abuse Bill and consultation response, published in January, includes further measures to help tackle domestic abuse, including introducing a statutory definition of domestic abuse to include a range of behaviours that go beyond physical abuse and explicitly recognise economic abuse.We are including economic abuse in the new statutory definition of domestic abuse to acknowledge the life-changing impact that economic abuse can have on a victim’s life.The Joint Fraud Taskforce is leading an ambitious programme of work to prevent all forms of fraud and protect the most vulnerable in our society who are often targeted by fraudsters.We are working closely with UK Finance to support their work to encourage banks and the wider financial services sector to improve the support they provide to victims of domestic abuse accessing their services.We will continue to work with UK Finance to encourage banks and financial authorities to do more to support victims of domestic abuse and help them move forward to escape debt, joint accounts, and mortgagesWe have provided funding to the National Skills Academy to develop and deliver financial capability training for frontline workers to support individuals who are experiencing economic domestic abuse.We will provide approximately £250,000 until 2020 to create a national advice service for banks and building societies, increase the capacity of existing telephone casework services for victims of domestic abuse and develop resources to help people identify if they are experiencing economic abuse.

Criminal Investigation

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been released under investigation by each police force in each of the last three years.

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people released under investigation have gone on to commit a further offence in each of the last three years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not hold the information requested.Decisions on pre-charge bail and released under investigation, as well as the timely and effective management of investigations, are operational matters for the police.The National Police Chiefs’ Council issued guidance (January 2019) to assist frontline officers in recognising when and how pre-charge bail can be used in order to contribute to an effective investigation. The guidance helps police officers and staff in making clear and effective risk-based decisions in relation to suspects, victims and witnesses when using pre-charge bail or released under investigation during their investigations.The guidance also covers management of investigations when a suspect is released under investigation, including the expectation that there are regular, documented review points.The Home Office continues to work with partners across the criminal justice system, including police, on matters related to pre-charge bail and released under investigation.

Knives: Crime

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department of 22 March 2019, Official Report, column 1404, how much of the £100 million in funding will be allocated to the police, by each police force.

Mr Nick Hurd: On 13 March the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an additional £100 million of funding for serious violence in 2019/20 to help the police’s immediate response to the rise in serious knife crime, and also to support investment in Violence Reduction Units. It is important that we recognise that greater law enforcement on its own will not reduce serious violence and that we must continue to focus on prevention.The majority of the investment will go towards supporting police forces where violent crime is impacting the most, to take immediate action to suppress the violence we are seeing, to make our streets safer. We are engaging with partners including the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and we are developing the criteria by which forces will receive this funding.

Migrant Workers: Scotland

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the 18 per cent reduction in the number of National Insurance registrations in Scotland by overseas workers between 2015 and 2018, what steps his Department is taking to encourage overseas workers to Scotland.

Caroline Nokes: Immigration is a reserved matter and the Government’s immigration policy applies to the whole of the United Kingdom. We consider the needs of the UK as a whole and are committed to developing an immigration system that serves the national interest.We have set out our proposals for the future border and immigration system that would operate after 2021, in a White Paper published in December. As set out in the White Paper, we will provide for a single, global immigration system that will be based on skills rather than on where someone comes from – and is designed to attract international talent and work in the best interests of the UK economy as a whole.Scotland’s particular circumstances and needs for skilled labour continue to be accounted for through the Scotland-specific Shortage Occupation List which allows immigration to address the gaps in Scotland’s labour market. The list broadly reflects the wider UK Shortage Occupation List, suggesting that Scotland’s skills needs are largely aligned with the rest of the UK.

Shoplifting: Warrington South

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to support convenience retailers in Warrington South that have lost an estimated £133,145 due to shop theft.

Victoria Atkins: All forms of retail crime are unacceptable, and everyone has the right to feel safe at work.I chair the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) which brings together partners including the police, trade bodies – including the Association of Convenience Stores - and retailers and is overseeing a range of work to tackle retail crime. This includes the collation and dissemination of good practice and developing guidance on the use of Impact Statements for Business, which give victims of business crime the opportunity to set out the impact the crime has had on the business, including, for example, financial loss. The NRCSG also continues to work with retailers to improve the management and response to shop theft using a partnership approach according to local circumstances.On 21 January I announced that we will launch a call for evidence on violence and abuse towards shop workers to strengthen our understanding of this issue, including how existing legislation is being applied.In addition, the Sentencing Council is reviewing its guidelines on assault and a consultation on a revised guideline is anticipated to commence this Summer.

Immigration: Commonwealth

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations he has received on the increases in the per person visa fees for Commonwealth UK Armed Forces personnel applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain.

Caroline Nokes: All immigration and nationality fees are set within strict financial limits agreed with HM Treasury and Parliament, and are also aligned with clear principles that balance a number of complex factors, including the benefits likely to be accrued.Officials from the Home Office liaise regularly with counterparts in MOD and the Armed Forces Families Federations on various issues regarding armed forces migration, including immigration fees for foreign and Commonwealth former service personnel. We are aware of the current campaign by Royal British Legion to waive settlement fees for Commonwealth national personnel, and I have responded to their letter on this issue.The Home Office reviews fees on a yearly basis and income from fees charged for immigration and nationality applications plays a vital role in our ability to run a sustainable immigration and nationality system, and minimize the burden on the taxpayer. Application fees in general have increased in recent years to support this aim.

Shoplifting: Woking

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to support convenience retailers in Woking that lost an estimated £125,763 due to shop theft, according to estimates of Association of Convenience Stores; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of implications for his policies of the findings of the Association of Convenience Stores Crime Report 2019 that (a) the total cost of crime for the convenience sector was £246 million, (b) there were 9,782 incidents of violence against people working in local shops and (c) convenience retailers had invested £4,080 per store in crime prevention equipment; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his department is taking to tackle (a) retail crime and (b) violence against shop-workers; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: All forms of retail crime are unacceptable, and everyone has the right to feel safe at work.I chair the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) which brings together partners including the police, trade bodies including the Association of Convenience Stores - and retailers and is overseeing a range of work to tackle retail crime. This includes the collation and dissemination of good practice and developing guidance on the use of Impact Statements for Business, which give victims of business crime the opportunity to set out the impact the crime has had on the business, including, for example, financial loss. The NRCSG also continues to work with retailers to improve the management and response to shop theft using a partnership approach according to local circumstances.Government encourages businesses to continue their efforts to protect themselves from crime, and I commend the investment that the convenient sector has made.On 21 January I announced that we will launch a call for evidence on violence and abuse towards shop workers to strengthen our understanding of this issue, including how existing legislation is being applied.In addition, the Sentencing Council is reviewing its guidelines on assault and a consultation on a revised guideline is anticipated to commence this Summer.

Shoplifting: Crawley

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to support convenience retailers in Crawley that lost an estimated £160,211 from shop theft; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: All forms of retail crime are unacceptable, and everyone has the right to feel safe at work.I chair the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) which brings together partners including the police, trade bodies – including the Association of Convenience Stores - and retailers and is overseeing a range of work to tackle retail crime. This includes the collation and dissemination of good practice and developing guidance on the use of Impact Statements for Business, which give victims of business crime the opportunity to set out the impact the crime has had on the business, including, for example, financial loss. The NRCSG also continues to work with retailers to improve the management and response to shop theft using a partnership approach according to local circumstances.On 21 January I announced that we will launch a call for evidence on violence and abuse towards shop workers to strengthen our understanding of this issue, including how existing legislation is being applied.In addition, the Sentencing Council is reviewing its guidelines on assault and a consultation on a revised guideline is anticipated to commence this Summer.

Social Media: Children

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with social media organisations on age verification on their platforms.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Secretary met US technology companies in November to discuss a range of issues on online child sexual exploitation and abuse, including how to ensure underage children are not given access to their platforms.The Government have been clear that we expect tech companies to remove child sexual abuse content when they find it, stop online grooming, shut down live streaming and, where necessary, have robust age verification measures in place to keep children safeThe Home Office and Department of Culture, Media and Sport are engaging with the key industry stakeholders on the forthcoming Online Harms White Paper, which will set out a range of legislative and non-legislative measures to tackle online harms and set clear responsibilities for tech companies to keep UK citizens safe.

Offenders: Foreign Nationals

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department,  what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the UK is not perceived as a safe haven for people suspected of committing international crimes.

Mr Nick Hurd: The United Kingdom is committed to holding those who commit the most serious crimes accountable for their actions. It is Government policy that the United Kingdom should not provide a safe haven for war criminals or those responsible for other serious violations of international law. We are committed to ending impunity for such crimes, and encourage action to be taken to bring such individuals to justice wherever possible, within the rule of law and depending on the sufficiency of the available evidence.The UK is committed to helping other countries to prosecute offences that take place within their territory or within their jurisdiction. Hence, the UK has arrangements to provide mutual legal assistance to other countries and permits the surrender of its own nationals subject to statutory safeguards.  In addition to extradition arrangements with its regular extradition partners, the UK recognises its important international obligations to the international tribunals, as well as under a range of UN Conventions (torture, hijacking etc). The UK stands ready to consider extradition requests from those countries with which it has no extradition arrangements. All requests are considered in accordance with the statutory bars set out in our domestic legal system.

International Criminal Law: Criminal Investigation

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the resources of the (a) Metropolitan Police and (b) CPS to (i) investigate and (ii) prosecute people residing in the UK who are suspected of committing international crimes; and if he will ensure that the investigation and prosecution of such individuals is prioritised.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government is committed to upholding international law and holding those who commit the most serious crimes accountable for their actions and is clear that the UK should not provide a safe haven for war criminals or those who commit other serious violations of international law. The Government encourages action to be taken to bring such individuals to justice wherever possible. In doing so, the Government has published guidance file:///C:/Users/panayih1/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/1D3NBYIH/universal-jurisdiction-note-web.pdf to clarify the role of prosecutors and the police on the investigation and prosecution of crimes of universal jurisdiction.The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) War Crimes Unit is a dedicated specialist unit which investigates and prosecutes people living in the UK suspected of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in line with universal jurisdiction. The MPS continuously reviews operational need and allocates additional resource to the unit in line with demand.The CPS Counter Terrorism Division has the responsibility for prosecuting such crimes and the division has doubled in size in recent years. The CPS is facing an increase in sensitive and complex cases and this drives the need for specialist staff. The CPS has a budget to enable its resourcing; the Attorney General and the Solicitor General will continue to work with them and HMT to ensure that this is the case and that their needs are reflected in any future Spending Review.

Genocide: Criminal Investigation

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the High Court decision not to extradite to Rwanda persons suspected of involvement in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis, what steps the (a) Metropolitan Police and (b) CPS have taken to comply with the Government's obligations under national and international law to investigate and prosecute acts of genocide.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is responsible for the investigation of all allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and torture. The MPS War Crimes Unit is a dedicated specialist unit which investigates and prosecutes people living in the UK suspected of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in line with universal jurisdiction.The Counter Terrorism Division (CTD) of the Crown Prosecution Service, Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, has responsibility for prosecuting any such crimes.Specialist Prosecutors from the Counter Terrorism Division of the CPS bring their expertise to cases of this nature; they work closely with the police throughout any investigation and prosecution of such crimes, including providing early investigative advice.The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) War Crimes Unit received a referral from Rwandan authorities in January 2018 relating to five individuals in the UK and allegations of genocide offences in Rwanda dating from around 1994. Documentation relevant to this was assessed by the War Crimes Unit and officers also deployed to Rwanda as part of initial work to scope the allegations. As a result, the MPS have subsequently commenced an investigation, initially this will involve a review of all the documentation transferred from Rwanda. It is understood that the MPS’ enquiries are ongoing.

Radicalism

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the increase in right-wing extremism.

Victoria Atkins: The Government is clear that far and extreme right-wing extremism have no place in Britain. This issue is taken seriously and is routinely discussed by Ministers. On 19 March 2019, the Inter-Ministerial Group on Safe and Integrated Communities, which is chaired by the Home and Communities secretaries, discussed the threat we face from extremism, including the far-right.The Government’s £63 million Building a Stronger Britain Together programme is supporting civil society groups to stand up to extremism in their communities, including over 50 groups focusing on far-right extremism. The Government has also proscribed National Action and several of its aliases; and is safeguarding those vulnerable to far-right radicalisation through Channel – around half of the people supported through Channel were referred because of far-right concerns in 2017/18.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his Department’s publication, Government response to the consultation on powers for dealing with unauthorised development and encampments: A summary of consultation responses and the way forward, published in February 2019, how many (a) police forces and (b) police representative bodies responded to that consultation; and how many of those responses favoured the criminalisation of unauthorised encampments.

Mr Nick Hurd: The consultation on powers for dealing with unauthorised development and encampments received 2,198 responses. These came from a wide range of stakeholders, including police forces, offices of police and crime commissioners, law enforcement representative bodies, local authorities, private sector bodies, representative groups of the Gypsy and Traveller community and members of the public.

British Nationality: Republic of Ireland

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) terms of reference and (b) time frame are for the review announced by the Prime Minister in Belfast on 5 February 2019 in relation to the rights of Northern Ireland-born Irish citizens to be joined by family members.

Caroline Nokes: The Prime Minister asked the Home Secretary to work with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to review the issues, not to conduct a formal review. This work is ongoing, and as the Prime Minister has said, a solution which complies with the Belfast Agreement will be set out as soon as possible

Visas: Overseas Visitors

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether caring responsibilities for grandchildren constitutes unpaid work for the purposes of Visit Visa applications under the Home Office Immigration Rules Appendix V (V4.2-4.10).

Caroline Nokes: The Visit Guidance makes clear that where a family member is coming to look after a child in the UK, this is permitted provided it is for a short visit and does not amount to the relative being employed as a childminder. The decision maker must be satisfied that the visit is of a short duration, the relative is a genuine visitor and will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits.

Wales Office

Economic Situation: Wales

Naz Shah: What recent assessment the Government has made of the strength of the Welsh economy.

Alun Cairns: The Welsh economy is continuing to thrive. The employment rate in Wales is up 3.4 percentage points over the last year, over twice as high as the increase in any other part of the UK, with an extra 78,000 people in work. Unemployment also continues to fall. The rate of unemployment in Wales is now half the 2010 level, with 57,000 fewer people unemployed.

Cabinet Office

Suicide

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will list the suicide rates in the UK in each of the last five years by local authority area.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 71.57 KB)

Public Sector: Procurement

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2019 to Question 236551, for what reason that information does not include the proportion of public sector buyers that utilise the Digital Marketplace.

Oliver Dowden: A list of all public sector buyers that have used Crown Commercial Service commercial arrangements can be viewed at the following link. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/current-crown-commercial-service-suppliers-what-you-need-to-knowPublicly available information indicating which public sector buyers have purchased services via the Digital Marketplace frameworks can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/digital-marketplace-sales#g-cloud-sales

Census: Sikhs

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the data that will be available to public bodies on Sikhs as an ethnic group after Census 2021.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 66.54 KB)

Autism: Suicide

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people with autism have died by suicide in each year since 2010.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 67.87 KB)

Department for International Trade

Biofuels: Import Duties

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2019 to Question 225546 on Biofuels: Import Duties, when she plans to make a public announcement on biofuel tariffs ahead of the UK leaving the EU on the 29 March 2019; (a) when and (b) how she plans to inform representatives of the UK bioethanol industry of the decision on those tariffs; and if she will make it her policy that there will be at least 15 working days between informing representatives of the UK bioethanol industry and making that public announcement.

George Hollingbery: It is the job of a responsible government to prepare for all scenarios. No deal preparations are continuing at pace, including on secondary legislation. We will communicate a decision on what is a market sensitive information to stakeholders and the public as soon as possible.

Oil: Import Duties

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of imposing reciprocal tariffs for petroleum products in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

George Hollingbery: If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the UK will implement a temporary tariff: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-temporary-rates-of-customs-duty-on-imports-after-eu-exit. We expect that the EU’s most favoured nation (MFN) tariff regime will apply to UK exports in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal, and there is no indication that the EU will modify its tariff regime as a result of our exit. This decision seeks to ensure that UK importers and consumers do not face potential disruption or price rises that a fully reciprocal tariff policy would create.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Broadband

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many people working on the broadband delivery programme are (a) contingent labour, (b) supplier resource and (c) civil servants.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many people working on the 700 MHz Clearance Programme are (a) contingent labour, (b) supplier resource and (c) civil servants.

Margot James: We do not hold specific data as to how many people are currently working on delivering broadband across the areas as stated in the question. Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) also works with several other Government departments on delivering broadband including HM Treasury, Department of Education, Department for Health and Social Care, Department for Transport, DEFRA and BEIS plus arms length bodies such as Ofcom.

Youth Organisations: Finance

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 October 2018 to Question 176383, how much funding has been released from dormant bank accounts to support young people.

Mims Davies: As part of the Civil Society Strategy, the Government committed to working with the National Lottery Community Fund to allocate £90 million from dormant bank accounts to a new, independent organisation to support young people furthest away from the labour market. Last week, the Youth Futures Foundation (YFF) launched and announced its Founding Chair, Joe Montgomery. Over the coming months, YFF will set out its strategy for using this funding to support the most disadvantaged young people into employment. Funding is supporting small, grassroot youth organisations working with young people Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) or at risk of becoming NEET, to build their organisational capacity and strengthen local partnerships.